Southern Christian University

Acts Class Session #04

James A. Turner

Hello students. We begin our lesson at this time with Acts chapter five. I hope you remember from chapter four the generosity of those Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and Judea how that they were selling houses and land and bringing the price and laying it down at the apostles' feet, that distribution might be made to the people. They were surely showing a fine spirit in regard to assisting those that were from afar to be able to stay and hear the teaching of the apostles and engaged in the evangelistic work that the church was doing. And the last two verses tells about how that Joseph, a man who the apostles had surnamed Barnabas because, of his peculiar ability to comfort and exhort people, and he was a Levite. That means that he was a person of the tribe that was of the spiritual leaders. Barnabas owed a field on the island of Cyprus, and he sold it and brought the money and laid it down at the apostles’ feet.

Chapter Five

In the first part of chapter five we read that Ananias and Sapphira sold a possession and they brought only a part of the price and laid it at the apostles' feet and said that they had brought all, and they were struck dead because they lied to the Holy Spirit. No commandment had been given by the Lord to the effect that any person had to sell their possessions. It was of their own freewill that many of the disciples were doing so. It is stated well by Peter that in the first place they did not have to sell their property, and in the second place they could have given any portion of their property that they wanted to, that it was still in their power to do what they wanted to do with the money. But the point is, they brought part of the price, claiming that they had brought all. They were killed by the Holy Spirit for their lying about what they had done.

Acts 5:1, "But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession." And notice that, sold a possession which puts us on notice that they did not sell everything that they had, but they sold a possession, and that implies that they had other possessions. "And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit to keep back part of the price of the land?" Notice that they are not struck dead because they did not bring all of it. Verse four, they did not have to sell it in the first place. In the second place, they could have given what portion they wanted to give, but they sinned when they lied about what they had done. How did Peter know that they had lied about their giving? The apostles had all of the nine miraculous gifts, those nine miraculous gifts maybe plus, that are listed in I Corinthians 12:4-11, and one of those gifts was the discerning of spirits, and so Peter knew what they had done. Verse three again, "Peter said to Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" I wonder if that means that they thought they could lie about it and the Holy Spirit would not know they had lied about it. At least it looks like they were in some way putting the Holy Spirit to a test. And Peter said, why has Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?

What about that? Does that mean that Satan made Ananias and Sapphira do what they did? Absolutely not. A good reference that I believe every Christian should memorize is I Corinthians 10:13. In the previous verses, Paul had called attention to a number of things that the people of Israel had done that were wrong, and how that they were punished for their wrong doing. And in verse twelve he says, "Let him that think that he standeth take heed lest he fall." And then verse thirteen is the verse that if you do not know it by memory, please let me encourage you to memorize it. "There hath no temptation taken you but such that is common to man. God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation give a way of escape that you may be able to bear it." That is a wonderful promise made to every child of God, that if you want to do right, the Lord will see to it that you can do right! In James chapter 1:13, James says, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." Bringeth forth spiritual death.

And in John the tenth chapter Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and they know me, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish; and no one is able to snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them unto me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand." I may not have gotten it right, but we will turn and read from John the tenth chapter, beginning with verse twenty-six, "But ye believe not, because ye are not my sheep." And he is talking to the leaders of the Jewish people. They have come around to Jesus and said, "How long dost thy hold us in suspense? If thou art the Christ, tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not my sheep." Now, notice about the Lord's people. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. The Jews took up stones again to stone him." John is referring to the rulers and the supposed spiritual leaders of the Jewish people, especially the scribes and the Pharisees and the Sadducees as the Jews. These references teach that there is conditional security in Christ! This passage, from John, has been used to teach false doctrine, but we need to use it correctly and let people know that there is absolutely conditional security in Christ. And just as long as Christian people hear the voice of Christ and follow him, the devil does not have the power to get a child of God out of Christ's hand and out of God's hand.

But every person is a free moral agent. So after a person has obeyed the gospel, he can do as Ananias and Sapphira did and be in a lost condition again. They have lied to the Holy Spirit. "How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? Thou hath not lied unto men, but unto God." Notice verse three again, “why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” So the devil does not have the power to take over the heart of the Christian unless the Christian is willing for Satan to have his way. They did not have to give way to the temptation of Satan, but they did. Notice the different statements that are made about what they had done. In verse three, "Filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit." And then in the latter part of verse four, "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, and when they lied to the Holy Spirit they did not lie unto men but unto God. "And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: And great fear came on all that heard it. And the young men arose, and they carried him out, and buried him." There was no funeral. They just carried him out and buried him. When his wife came in three hours later, she did not know that her husband was dead and buried. "And it was about the space of three hours after when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. And Peter said unto her, How is that ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord?"

So it looks like this person is referred to three times, “lied to the Holy Spirit”, verse three, the latter part of verse four, “did not lie unto men but unto God,” and here in verse nine, agreed together “to try the Spirit of the Lord,” but all three referring to the Holy Spirit. And it looks like Peter knew that she would also fall down dead. "Behold the feet of them that have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out. And she fell down immediately at his feet and gave up the ghost: And the young men came in, and found her dead, and, they carried her out, and buried her with her husband." It looks like the young men had just finished burying her husband when they came in and found her dead. And they carried her out and buried her by her husband. "And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things." We have already read about in chapter four of that persecution being brought against Peter and John, how they were brought before the Sanhedrin and commanded not to teach anymore in the name of Christ. But they had replied by saying, "Whether it be right to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard," Acts 4:19-20. And they continued their teaching.

And here in chapter five, they arrested all of the apostles and put them in jail, and the angel of the Lord releases them and tells them to go to the temple to teach the people to speak the words of this life, and they did. When the court convened to try them, they send for them, and they found the prison doors locked and the keepers standing at the doors, but when they opened them, they did not find the apostles. This is a very interesting story. Coming back to the first part of chapter five, does the Holy Spirit striking these people dead, Ananias and Sapphira, remind you of anything in the Old Testament scriptures? It should. Do you remember from the tenth chapter of the book of Leviticus, how that Aaron and his sons were going through that period of ordination to become priests, which was to be for seven days. During this time period two of the sons of Aaron Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire, unholy fire, to the Lord. And because they did, God consumed them. First notice from Leviticus chapter 8:33, "That ye shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed: For it will take seven days to ordain you." And so that is the instruction that has been given to Aaron. He and his sons were to stay in the tent of meeting until seven days until the time of their ordination was complete, and before those ten days were completed, two of his sons offered fire that the Lord hath not commanded them, and the Lord devoured them.

Reading from chapter ten, beginning with verse one of Leviticus, "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire on it, and laid incense on it, and offered unholy fire before the Lord." I believe the American Standard says strange fire. I am reading here from the Revised Standard Version. "And offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them." God has always given instruction as to what his people are to do in respect to worship. He has never left men to grope in darkness as about how they are to worship Him, and men are to worship as God has instructed. And here the Lord had not commanded for them to do what they did. They did something other than what the Lord had commanded, and we need to learn the lesson that when we do in worship something which the Lord has not commanded us to do, that we are doing the wrong thing. And here the Lord devoured them with fire. Verse two, "Fire came forth from the presence of the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord said, I will show myself holy among those who are near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace." And Moses called the sons of Aaron's uncle to come near, and carry them out of the camp, which they did. And notice what he told Aaron and the other two sons of Aaron. Leviticus 10:6, "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, do not rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the congregation: But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled. And do not go out from the door of the tent a meeting, lest ye die: For the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses."

Another Old Testament account is about how that the Kohathites, one of the families of the tribe of Levites, the Kohathites were to carry the holy vessels on poles between two of them. When it was time to take down the tabernacle, the priests were to go in and take the holy vessels and cover them up properly and put the staves in, and then the Kohathites were to carry the holy vessels on their shoulders between two of them. Notice from Numbers 4:5, "And when the camp is to set out, Aaron, and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the temple with it. Then they shall put on it a covering of goat skin and spread over it a cloth of blue, and shall put in its poles. And over the table of the bread of the Presence, they would cover up all the holy vessels and put the poles in those holy vessels. And after they had done that, the son of Kohath was to carry them." Look down to 4:15, "And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry thee: But they shall not touch the holy things, lest they die." So they were not to touch those holy vessels. They were to carry them by the poles on their shoulders. Do you remember how that many years later that David wanted to carry the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and they made a mistake in not carrying the ark of the covenant properly? They put the ark on an ox cart. And they came to the threshing floor of Nathan, and one of the sons of the priest, one was going before and one of the oxen stumbled and he reached up to try to prevent the ark from falling off the cart, and God smote him there because he put his hand on the ark.

Let us read that from II Samuel chapter six, beginning with verse three, "And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it." Do you remember that the ark of God was taken by the Philistines and the trouble that they had, and finally they decided that they had better carry the ark back to the land of Israel, which they did, but it never did go back to Shiloh. Shiloh was never a full house after that because the ark of the covenant was not carried back. And then finally in the days of David, he wanted to carry the ark to Jerusalem and put it in a tent there. So reading from II Samuel 6:3, "They carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was on the hill: And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart with the ark of God. And Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord and with all manner of musical instruments, with harps, and tambourines and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nachon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there; because he put forth his hand to the ark." Now do you remember that reading in the fourth chapter of Numbers, but they must not touch the holy thing, verse fifteen, “lest they die?” And so here Uzzah touched the Ark of the Covenant, and God smote him because he did. And David was afraid to try to carry the ark any farther. They carried it to the house of Obededom, and God blessed the house of Obededom.

At a later date David got around to doing his homework and found out how that the ark was supposed to be carried. I guess it had been so long since the ark had been moved, that most of them had forgotten about how that the ark was to be carried. In I Chronicles chapter fifteen, we find that David did his homework and learned that the Levites were to carry the ark of God. The second time, they carried it properly and were successful in carrying the ark to Jerusalem and putting it in the tent that David had set up for it. Reading from I Chronicles chapter fifteen, "David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God." And the priests came from the descendants of Aaron, and the other families of the Levites were assistants to the priests. And the Koathites were the ones that carried the holy vessels. "Then David said, no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God: For the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord, and to minister to him forever." And so David assembled the priests and the Levites and they carried the ark properly and were successful in carrying the ark to Jerusalem and putting it in the tent that David had prepared for it.

In Numbers the sixteenth chapter, we read about how that Korah, Dathan and Abiram led two hundred and fifty other men to follow them, and they thought they were going to usurp the office of priesthood. They said to Moses and Aaron, you have gone too far, you take too much to yourselves. Verse three, "And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and they said to them, Ye have gone too for, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: Why then did ye exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?" And they thought that they were going to take over the priesthood, and only the descendants of Aaron were to be priests. And in talking to them, Moses told them that they had gone too far. Verse eight, "And Moses said to Korah, Hear, now, ye sons of Levi: Is it too small a thing that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to do service in the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? And he hath brought you near to him, and all thy brethren and sons of Levi with you: And would ye seek the priesthood also? Therefore it is against the Lord that ye and all your company have gathered together: And what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?" They thought that they were murmuring against Aaron when actually they were murmuring against the Lord. And on this occasion Moses said to the people, if these men die a common death, you will know that the Lord has not appeared to me, but if the Lord creates some new thing and the ground opens up, and swallows them up and they go down alive into sheol, you will know that these men have despised the Lord. Beginning with 16:29, "And the Lord opened the earth and swallowed them up." And then the two hundred and fifty that had their censers, and they thought they were going to offer their incense offering to the Lord, and look at what God did to them. Verse thirty-five, "And fire came forth from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense." Do you remember how Paul said that we need to know the Old Testament scriptures (Romans 15:4; II Timothy 3:16-17)? So this is not the first time that people were struck dead by God, for doing the wrong thing.

Now back to Acts 5:12, "And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people." And I want you to remember again about those signs and wonders, that no miracles were done by anyone except the apostles until after the apostles laid their hands on the seven men that were chosen to take care of the distribution of food to the Grecian widows. And so God had performed great signs and wonders among the people. Verse twelve again, "And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: Howbeit the people magnified them." The pronoun they and them refer back to the apostles. They were in Solomon's porch. And the people were afraid to join themselves to them. But the people magnified them when they saw the signs and wonders and all that they were doing. Acts 5:14, "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." Please remember that we have already read in Acts 4:4, “But many of them that heard the word believed, and the number of men came to be about five thousand.” It must have been at that time like it is today, nearly everywhere more women obey than men. But that was their method of counting back there, they usually counted by the men. So there must have been ten thousand people in number given in Acts 4:4. And now here in 5:14, "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." So take ten thousand and add multitudes to that, and certainly we can see the great increase of Jewish believers here in the early days of the church. Verse fifteen, "Insomuch that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that as Peter came by at the least his shadow might overshadow some of them." Now whether or not they were healed by the shadow of Peter or not, we are not told. Now, in respect to Jesus, you remember that the people reasoned if they could but touch the hem of his garment, they would be healed, and one reference I remember says that all that touched were healed. I would like for you to give close attention to verse sixteen. "And there also came together the multitude from the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: And they were healed every one." Have you known of any so-called healing service of today that has that characteristic, “and they were healed every one.” It is very obvious that that would not be true of healing services today. Why? Because that the miraculous age of the church, which is spoken of as the childhood age of the church (I Corinthians 13:8-13; Ephesians 4:7-16) is over. The word of Christ had been completely given, and miracles are over (I Corinthians 13:9-10; James 1:25)! The primary purpose of the miraculous was to aid in the giving and confirming of the law of Christ, the New Testament (Hebrews 2:3-4; I Corinthians 2:10-13; II Corinthians 3:4-6). We will probably get around to talking about that more in detail sometime later.

Acts 5:17, , "But the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, which is of the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled with jealousy, and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public ward." Why were the Sadducees filled with jealousy against the apostles to the point that they put them in prison or put them in the common jail on this occasion? They were teaching the resurrection gospel, and the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead nor spirits or angels. Do you remember the question that they asked Jesus during his personal ministry? According to their story there was a woman that had seven brothers as husbands, and she outlived all seven of them! Please turn with me to Matthew 22:23, "On that day there came to him Sadducees, they that say there is no resurrection, and they asked him, Saying, Teacher, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren." I think that their story is a lie! Don’t you think that some of them would have gotten suspicious? But anyway if it is true they still reached the wrong conclusion. "Now there were with us seven brethren: And the first married and deceased, and, having no seed, left his wife unto his brother: And in like manner the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And after them all the woman died." They thought that they had a question that Jesus could not begin to answer. According to their reasoning seven brothers would be fighting, ready to fight over one woman! Verse twenty-eight, "In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven for they all had her? But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?"

The quotation from Exodus 3:6, when Moses saw the burning bush, and he turned to see why it was not consumed, and the Lord spoke to him and told him that I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. The Jewish people from the lineage of Abraham came through Isaac and then through Isaac's son Jacob. I believe we have already discussed how that Abraham did not want to heed Sarah's instruction. When Isaac was weaned, his wife Sarah saw the son of the handmaiden Ishmael taunting her son Isaac. And she said to Abraham, “Cast out the handmaiden and her son, for he is not going to inherit with my son.” Abraham was reluctant to do it, but God told him to do what she had told him to do, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Isaac married Rebekah and she was barren, and Isaac prayed that she might be able to bear, and God answered his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins, and they were giving her trouble. She prayed to the Lord, and God told her that two nations were in her womb. In the ninth chapter of Romans, Paul talks about that, how that God made a choice before those twins were born, that the Jewish people would come of the descendants of Jacob and not of Esau. The descendants of Esau were the Edomites, but they were not counted as Jewish people. After Abraham's wife Sarah died, Genesis chapter twenty-three, and then in Genesis twenty-five, we read that he married Keturah and had six sons by her, but they were not counted as Jewish people. So God described himself to Moses, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” and on down through David. I hope you do not mind me turning to some of these Old Testament references. I think we will have plenty of time to do so and still be able to study the book of Acts in a pretty detailed way. So they laid hands on the apostles and put them in public ward.

Acts 5:19, "But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, Go ye, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life." And I believe I asked you to notice carefully about the angels and see if they are not distinct from human beings. We have quite a number of brethren who are speaking of angels as just being messengers. And they leave the impression, at least on the minds of the people, that men can be angels! Well, I want to know if there are any men today that could do what the angels did here? An angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors and brought them out. "Go ye, and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and taught. But the high priest came, and they were with him, and called the council together, and all the Senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison house to have them brought." It looks like this must have been a pretty full court, the Sanhedrin court, the highest court of the Jews, consisted of seventy men in all. And so they have come together, ready to try these men because they had strictly charged them, Peter and John, not to teach anymore in the name of Christ. Acts 4:18 reads, "And they called them, and charged them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered, Whether it is right to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we saw and heard." And so they declared on that occasion, we are going to continue our teaching, which thing they did. And so here all of the apostles are put in prison. They are put in prison, and the angel of the Lord releases them and tells them to go into the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. That would be telling them to teach the gospel of Christ, which is the words of this life. "And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and taught." I guess we will stop there. Our time is about up, and we will begin with verse twenty-one. A brief recess was taken.

We are now ready to pick up with Acts 5:21, "And when they heard this they entered into the temple about daybreak, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the Senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison house to have them brought. But the officers that came, found them not in the prison, and they returned and told, Saying, The prison house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the doors: But when we had opened, we found no man within." Again, I ask, do you think verse twenty-three stands the test of those angels being men? The angels released them and they go to the prison house, and they find it shut and locked safely, and the keeper is standing at the door! But the angel has released the apostles and told them to go back and teach in the temple the words of this life. "Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were much perplexed concerning them whereunto this would grow." If they had been men of truth and sincere men, they would have dismissed that court immediately, don't you think? "And there came one and told them, Behold, the men whom we put in prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people." And especially when they heard that news, that the apostles are in the temple teaching the people. "Then the captain with the officers, and brought them but without violence: For they feared the people, lest they should be stoned." Verse twenty-six is surely strong. It indicates that they wanted to bring them with violence, but they were afraid of the people. They brought them without violence, for they feared the people lest they should be stoned.

Acts 5:27, "And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: And the high priest asked them, Saying, We strictly charge you not to teach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us." Note how they referred to Christ as this man's blood. We strictly charged you not to teach anything in this name, and you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. "And intend to bring this man's blood upon us." Well, do you remember how that when they demanded that Pilate release unto them Barabbas rather than Jesus? He asked them the question, what then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? And they wanted him crucified. And Pilate said, what evil hath he done? Turn to Matthew twenty-seven. Let us pick up with verse eleven. "Now Jesus stood before the governor: And the governor asked him, saying, Art thou King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he gave them no answer; not even to one word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly. Now at the feast the governor was wont to release unto the multitude one prisoner, whom they would." The feast of the Passover. "And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas." He was a thief and a murderer. "When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" It looks like Pilate chose the worst criminal that he had, thinking that they surely would take Barabbas rather than Christ. "For he knew that for envy they had delivered him up. And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man: For I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. But the governor answered and said unto them, Which of the two will ye that I release unto you? And they said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ? They all say, Let him be crucified. And he said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let him be crucified. So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man: See ye to it." Pilate declared that he was innocent, but he was surely not innocent of his blood. He should have done as his wife instructed him to do, have thou nothing to do with him because I have suffered many things this day because of him. Pilate should have heeded the advice of his wife. Verse twenty-five, "And all of the people answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." Now it is time for the blood of Christ to be on those leaders of the Jews, who had Jesus crucified, and now they are ready to put the blame on the apostles. You intend to bring this man's blood upon us. And they had asked for his blood to be upon them and on their children.

So back to Acts 5:28, "Saying, We strictly charged you not to teach in this name? And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men." And from Acts 4:19 and Acts 5:29, we need to learn the lesson in a very clear way, that if civil authorities give instruction that is contrary to the law of God, that we are to let the law of God be supreme. And they said, “We must obey God rather than men.” They would have been unfaithful to God if they had obeyed the orders of the Court! And remember the statement that Peter and John made, we are not going to obey you, we are going to obey God. They said, we are going to “speak the things which we saw and heard.” So they affirmed that we are going to continue our teaching, which thing they did. And here Peter and the apostles answered, saying, “We must obey God rather than men.”

If the American people had obeyed God instead of listening to the Federal Judges of the Federal Court System about reading the scriptures and having prayers in our schools, there would not have been anything that they could have done about it if enough people had put God first rather than the Court System. Have you thought about how contradictory the Court System has been? Why don't they bring a case against the President and other leaders in government for the prayer service that they had after 9-11-01? If it is wrong to have prayer in school, why was not that spending tax money in the wrong way? Of course, they would not dare try to do anything about that, and, of course, they should not. But it shows the inconsistency, they will bring a case against a small school system where they are continuing to have prayer, and maybe read some scriptures at school. But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “we must obey God rather than men,” and anytime there is a conflict, God's word is supreme. People violate the law of God when they obey the laws of men, which are contrary to the laws of God.

Acts 5:30, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, hanging him on a tree." I wish you would highlight hanging him on a tree. We know that Jesus was crucified on the cross of Calvary, but twice the apostle Peter speaks of him being hanged on a tree. This verse and also in chapter 10:39, at the house of Cornelius. Acts 10:39, "We are witnesses of all these things which he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging him on a tree." And further when Paul was preaching at the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, he referred to the Jewish people as hanging Christ on a tree. I am reading from Acts thirteen, picking up with verse twenty-eight, "And though they found no cause of death in him, yet asked they of Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb." So both Peter and Paul speak of Christ as being hanged on a tree. Why do they refer to Christ being hanged on a tree? I believe we have the answer in Galatians 3:13 where Paul says, "Christ became a curse for us or it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." And that refers back to Deuteronomy 21:23. Usually the people of Israel stoned a criminal to death, but it must have been when a criminal had committed a hideous crime that they hanged him. Reading from Galatians 3:10 where Paul says, "For as many as were under the works of the law. (the Old Testament) are under a curse: For it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident: For the righteous shall live by faith. But the law is not of faith, but he that doeth them shall live in them." The latter statement is from Leviticus 18:5. The Old Testament law gave the promise of life, on the basis of perfection in keeping the law. But the law also said, cursed is every one that continued not in all things which were written in the book of the law to do them, Deuteronomy 27:26. None kept the law perfectly so all were left under a curse by the law.

Galatians 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us: For it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." If you have a Bible that has good references, you will have a footnote probably before the word curse, and the footnote will be Deuteronomy 21:23, and it has reference to when they hanged a person, that they were commanded to take him down before dark. Is that the reason why according to the law that burials are to take place before dark? Do you suppose that comes from Deuteronomy 21:23? Christ became a curse for us when he was crucified on the cross of Calvary. It is stated by Paul in II Corinthians 5:21, "Him who knew no sin, he made to be sin in our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God through him." And so I believe that is the reason that Paul and Peter speak of Christ being hanged on a tree because of that reference about Christ becoming a curse in our behalf. He was counted as the worst of criminals in that sense. He died as a representative of all sinners.

Back to Acts 5:30, "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew hanging him on a tree. Him did God exalt with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him." In that first sermon, Peter told the people to, “repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So when people are baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins, they receive an indwelling, a non-miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And Acts 5:32 is saying that, that God gives his Holy Spirit to them that obey him. "But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were minded to slay them." Now remember on Pentecost there were those who were pricked in their heart, but a very different way of what the Court here is pricked in the heart. "But they when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were minded to slay them. And there stood up in the council, a pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in honor among all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while." Gamaliel was recognized as one of the greatest teachers of the Jewish people in that day and time, and in Acts twenty-two after Paul had been rescued by the soldiers, remember the people were about to kill him when he was rescued by the Roman soldiers, and then he wanted to speak to people from the castle steps, and he was given permission to do so. And in talking to those people who had been trying to kill him, Acts 22:1, "Brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense, which I now make unto you. And when they heard that he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, they were more quiet: And he saith, I am a Jew born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death binding and delivering into prisons both men and women." So Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. And you see that the council gives him honor, and heeds his advice.

Back to Acts 5:34, "But there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, having honor of all the people, and commanded to put the men forth a little while; and he said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men what you are about to do." They were minded to slay them, verse thirty-three. And Gamaliel makes the point that if this is not from God, it will fail soon, and if it is of God, you need to be careful, and not to find yourselves fighting against God. So Gamaliel talks to the Court in private. Verse thirty-five, "And he said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men. What ye are about to do. For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: Who were slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the day of the enrollment, and drew away some of the people after him: He also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were scattered aboard. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: For if this counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown. But if it is of God, ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be fighting against God." Gamaliel, even though he was a Pharisee, and I guess going the wrong way like most of the Pharisees, but at least he had judgment enough to recognize if they were found fighting against God they would not prevail. "And to him they agreed: And when they had called the apostles unto them, they beat them, and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go."

Notice verse forty, what they did to the apostles. They beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. The first time they just charged them, but here they beat them. Don’t you guess that they beat them thirty-nine stripes, save one. In the eleventh chapter of II Corinthians, Paul speaks of some of those things that he suffered as a Christian. And one of the things mentioned in that long list was that five times he had been beaten of the Jews forty stripes, save one. Forty was the maximum that the law allowed for them to beat a person, and evidently they cut it down to thirty-nine to make sure that they did not go over the maximum. And five times Paul had been beaten with forty stripes, save one. So do not you guess that they beat all twelve of the apostles on this occasion with thirty-nine stripes? They must have been suffering from that beating. Now notice, "They therefore departed from the presence of the counsel, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for his name." So who says that people cannot rejoice, even in suffering? You remember how James said, “counted all joy my brethren when you fall into manifold temptations or manifold trials, for the trials are of the proving of your faith, and let faith have its perfect work that you be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.” In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that we should rejoice when we are called on to suffer in the name of Christ. Let us read from Matthew chapter five about that. Matthew 5:10 beginning, "Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness' sake." So happy are they are persecuted for righteousness sake. Righteousness comes by keeping the law of God. Psalms 119:172, I believe is the verse, says that all God's commandments are for righteousness. So when people keep the commandments of God, they are righteous. "So blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness sake: For their’s is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: For great is your reward in heaven: For so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." And please remember II Timothy 3:12 where Paul said, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." And so persecution is to be counted as a common lot for Christian people. And here the apostles were men of real faith and when they left the council they were rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. "And every day in the temple, and at home, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." So they continued to do public teaching in the temple, and they were doing private teaching at home.

Chapter Six

"And in these days, when the number of disciples were multiplied." Back in 5:14, the believers were more added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. And in Acts 4:4, the number of men came to be five thousand, and so the number, including the women, must have been at least ten thousand. And then 5:14, "Believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both men and women." And here Acts 6:1, "Now in these days, when the number of disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the day ministration."

It may be that their widows were being somewhat neglected in the daily ministration of food, but remember how that the people of Jerusalem and the area around Jerusalem were selling houses and land and bringing the price and laying it down at the apostles' feet, that this distribution might be made to all. And it looks like to me that this is a bad spirit manifested here on the part of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews. The Grecian Jews would have been those Jews that had lived among Gentile people, and they come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. The Christians in Jerusalem and Judaea were selling properties to make it possible for them to stay, and here there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews. Any time people begin to murmur, the Bible teaches that they have the wrong spirit. That was one of the things so characteristic of the people of Israel, they were continually murmuring and complaining to Moses. “And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their, misfortunes,” (Numbers 11:1) and “O that we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic, but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at (Numbers 11:4-6)” In the Philippian letter, Paul told the Philippian brethren to do all things without murmuring or questionings. I am reading from Philippians chapter two, beginning with verse twelve, "So then my beloved, even as ye have always ob